December 20, 2019
2-CD Original Soundtrack to HIS DARK MATERIALS Released – Music by Lorne Balfe
Award-winning composer Lorne Balfe’s dramatic soundtrack to the BBC’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy HIS DARK MATERIALS was released digitally today from Silva Screen Records and will be available on CD in January 2020.
“It’s an epic work that perfectly foreshadows Lyra’s journey, and could easily belong in Assassin’s Creed or Tomb Raider… There’s been a lot of love for Balfe’s music for His Dark Materials, with one Twitter user saying it’s been “playing and replaying in their head”, and another calling it their “favourite intro for a TV show in 2019.” – Classic FM
“This is fantasy the way it should be done: sumptuous, inspiring both wonder and a sense of adventure, beautifully scored (by Lorne Balfe), with world building that is as impeccable as it is effortless.” – First Post
The main themes from HIS DARK MATERIALS have already been introduced to the listeners through The Musical Anthology of HIS DARK MATERIALS, released on Silva Screen Records in November 2019 (See our previous news story here). For that concept album the principal themes were reworked, molded and explored as each character’s theme is on a separate musical journey throughout the series. The themes are never fixed, there are no rules and they are constantly evolving. The new HIS DARK MATERIALS original score provides a musical narrative drive across all eight episodes. The album presents the music, including main character themes, as they appear through the series.
The score is performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Matt Dunkley.
HIS DARK MATERIALS is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema for BBC One and HBO. The series’ global premiere was on Sunday 3rd November on BBC One and on Monday 4th November on HBO.
The streaming/digital download soundtrack is available from these sources.